Always Got By On My Own
by echgrl
Summary: This is a different take on DP where Danny has to face his halfa struggles completely on his own with no help from his two best friends (at least in the beginning). With this change, the story will take much different turns than the original series. This take on the story will include the origin story. Script-form rather than novel-form.
1. The Beginning

**This story will be in script form - I'm trying to make it as much like the TV show as possible. I feel like narrative overlays at some parts are necessary so that's gonna be a thing. This story is a work in progress and Danny is going to be a lot more independent as Sam and Tucker will not know that he is a half-ghost. Though they may find out (and by may I mean, yes they will find out but I'm not sure when or how yet). I've been wanting to write a fanfiction like this and I have written some bits and pieces of the story but I never got around to writing the actual origin story so here is the first chapter! I hope it's good :D**

 **UPDATE 4/25: REWRITE OF FIRST FEW PARAGRAPHS (per ReconstructWriter's suggestion) AND EDITS TO THE REST (b/c I am OCD about grammar and saw that I had a good bit of mistakes)**

A couple, a small, slender woman and a large, loud man in different colored jumpsuits with black accents, excitedly works on the massive octagonal machine. Maddie, wearing red goggles and a hood, sets dials in place. Jack, has a big grin on his face as he writes in small letters FentonWorks® on the very bottom of the control pad. Their son Danny sits at a lab table and watches eagerly as they put the finishing touches on this incredible machine. Jazz, his older sister, sits across from him, reading a book titled Surviving Adolescence Through Therapy, periodically looking up from it at her parents' progress with skeptical curiosity.

Maddie (excited): Okay, I think we are ready!

Jack (finishing the logo and grinning wildly): I can't believe it! After a whole year, we finally are ready to test this baby. And it _has_ to work this time around! I'll do the honors!

Maddie smiles as he holds up an extension cord and a plug connecting to the ghost portal. He presses in the plug and sparks dissipate just as soon as they fly. When nothing happens, Jack tries over and over but still, _nothing_. The two ghost hunters look at each other confused.

Maddie: _WHAT_?! But I thought…but all of these calculations are right.

She and her husband run over to the blueprints that are up on a stand to the right of the octagonal portal.

Jack (dejectedly): How could it not have worked?

Maddie sighs, taking her goggles and hood off revealing her purple eyes and red hair. She crosses her arms.

Maddie (sadly): Maybe this won't ever work…

Danny frowns as he hears his parents' disappointment, looking into the octagonal room with dim electric blue detailing. It was an exquisite site. He hated to see his parents so easily let down, but he couldn't blame them. They thought for sure this last time would work. But it didn't. What could they be doing wrong?

Jack (puts an arm around her): Don't worry Mads. We will figure it out some day. Let's go eat some fudge and try not to think about it.

She looks up at him lovingly, nods, and they walk up the stairs into the house.

Danny's troubled face is zoomed in on as a circle forms around him and the screen zooms out to show a dark room where forest green gears are turning and a ghostly figure shifting between ages of young, middle-aged, and old, holding a cane with a clock on top and clothed in a purple cape. Eyes are red, a scar across the left one, and skin is light blue. He looks at the globe which displays Danny looking unamused and depressed.

Clockwork: _Daniel Fenton_ …only fourteen years old. A lot can change in less than 24 hours… Little does the boy know what lies in his future, or that this afternoon will become the most defining event in his life. This child, destined for greatness, sits on the brink between greatness and obscurity. (Danny looks into the unfinished ghost portal with a mixture of insecurity and excitement spread across his face.) And so the brave halfa's story begins… _Time in_.

 **Cue in theme song!**

Danny works on homework at his desk in his room. There's a knock on the door.

Danny (while fiddling around with his pencil in his hand): Yeah?

His red-head older sister pokes her head in.

Jazz: Just wanted to let you know that I'm on my way to the library and probably will be out for a while. Leftovers for dinner are in the fridge, and Mom and Dad will be back at 11:00 PM from their anniversary dinner just FYI. Anyway, good night!

Danny: Night!

Danny hears her close the front door behind her and sighs as he stands up and looks at the clock: 7:02 PM. He sighs and walks downstairs to heat up the leftovers but, upon smelling the old meatloaf, covers the dish and places it back in the fridge with a repulsed look on his face. He then sees a post-it note on the fridge:

 _Danny-boy, I forgot to ask you if you could clean up the lab nice and pretty for your mom tonight before we get back. It would be a great surprise and possibly make tonight better - what with the upsetting ghost portal failure! Thanks! -Dad_

Danny shrugs but complies. He pulls some cleaning supplies out of the broom closet, then walks down the stairs to the lab. He starts sweeping the floor and works his way around, then arrives right in front of the octagonal abyss, the possible portal to another dimension. He stares in awe at his parents' work. Whether it worked or not, it was an impressive piece of machinery. He rubs the back of his neck anxiously. _Maybe_ I _could fix it_ … He was only joking to himself obviously… _clearly_ he wasn't any sort of a scientist like his parents and didn't know the first thing about ghost-hunting technology. But…what if he _could_ make it work?

Danny: Well first I would need to go inside…

He chuckles to himself and shakes his head, and sweeps some more, but, again, looks into it curiously. His eyes wander along the screws keeping the frame of the tunnel intact. All of his parents' hard work all gone to nothing. With purpose, Danny puts aside the broom and grabs a suit from the storage room - custom-made by his mom in hopes that he would decide to follow in his parents' footsteps. He pulls it on, but then sees a big sticker of his dad's face on the front and peels it off quickly and tosses it into the garbage. He turns back to the portal with unsure, nervous icy blue eyes. He grabs a flashlight and shines it into the seemingly endless tunnel. He sees that, there is, indeed, an end, and walks further in. The flashlight flickers then the battery dies.

Danny: Dang it.

He tosses the flashlight behind him and places his left hand on the cold, slick wall to steady and guide himself to the back wall. He trips over and his hand presses down on something as he tries to keep from falling. He raises a brow as a whirring initiates from the end of the tunnel and a bright light forms all around him. Before he can even think of running away, this light envelops him and his body shakes uncontrollably. He was nearly too shocked to feel the pain going up and down his spine… _nearly_. No one was there to hear his cries of intense agony. No one was there to help him out of this torture chamber. It lasted for several minutes, electricity and green ecto-energy seeping through Danny, merging with his DNA and changing him forever. Once it was all over, ectoplasmic smoke arose all around him, and he barely managed to crawl out of the portal before he coughed up green liquid which he thought may even be ectoplasm but was most likely bile. His body convulsed with sparks of electricity and his heart rate actually _slowed_. He thought this was the end for sure. He doesn't even realize that his hair is snow white, his entire body is glowing, and his black and white-silver suit has inverted colors before he falls unconscious.

…About 4 hours later…

Danny wakes up with a start, glowing eyes neon green. He pants and looks around himself frantically, unsure if what he thought happened, had _actually_ happened. He notices a strange hum coming from behind him and green lighting in the whole lab. He turns his torso and sees a green swirl in place of the previously empty ghost portal.

Danny: Did _I_ do that?

He covers his mouth, mixed excitement and wonder crossing his mind. He sees his gloves are silver and scratches his head.

Danny: I swear these were black before…

He doesn't think much more on it and cleans his vomit off the floor. He then goes upstairs to brush his teeth to rid himself of his bad breath, not even bothering to look up in the mirror. He rinses his mouth then splashes water in his face then looks up. He's paralyzed. He can't move. His eyes start to water because he can't close them. He looks closer, then backs up quickly, and the reflection follows in suit. He waves a hand in front of his face but his appearance doesn't change. He closes his eyes tightly then peeks one open but nothing is different from before. He still has white hair, green eyes, and a glowing aura around him. He can feel his heart pounding against his chest. Suddenly he is aware of all of his senses, especially his hearing. He can still hear the hum of the portal, he can hear the water moving in the pipes, sirens from a few blocks away, some person next door dropping a paperclip on the ground, a car pulling up the driveway in front of his house…He gasps.

Danny: Mom and Dad!

He slams the door of the bathroom closed. He runs over to the bathroom window and closes the blinds. He starts to pace around, wondering what he could say or do.

Danny: They can't see me like this! I - I - what _am_ I? How can I even explain this when I don't even know myself?

He is still staring in the mirror, terrified of what he's done, horrified that, as he speaks, his reflection does so too. It has the same mannerisms, the same facial and body structure…Yet it isn't him. It _can't_ be. His hair and his eyes…

Maddie: Danny! We're home!

Danny: Okay!

Jack: Mads, why don't we go down to the lab and run a few tests on that new invention we were working on?

Danny: _Oh God no_! The lab! They'll see that I fixed the portal. They'll know that something is up with me…

Jazz (locking the front door behind her): Hey! I'm back!

Danny: Jazz too?

He looks back at the mirror. He still can't - _won't_ believe that he is the same person as that _thing_ staring back at him in the mirror. Jazz starts up the stairs.

Danny: Oh no, I forgot to lock -

His body somehow becomes buoyant and he starts to float upwards. He yelps as he hits the ceiling.

She opens the door the bathroom and washes her hands. All the while, Danny is stuck on the ceiling and praying to God that she doesn't look up and he doesn't fall on top of her. Danny falls just as she leaves and slams the door behind her as she's turning around to see what the thump was. Jazz looks abundantly caught off guard and a little fearful.

Jazz: Was that a _ghost_? _Oh jeez, I'm becoming as paranoid as my parents…_

She turns around and decides to ignore the strange occurrence. Danny breathes out a sigh of relief and gets up on his feet again.

Danny (whispering as he turns): Okay -

He sees nothing in the mirror. He wants to scream but doesn't want anyone to be alarmed. Besides, even if he tried, nothing would come out because he was just that frightened. He attempts to look down at his feet but every part of him has completely vanished. He shakes his head.

Danny: Nonononononono. This is _not_ happening.

Jack: DANNY-BOY! COME DOWN! YOU'VE GOTTA SEE THIS!

Danny: ONE SEC!

He touches the counter with his invisible hands, and they touch the cool surface. Then suddenly his whole body is back again. He gasps. His hands then sink down below the counter and he yelps and jumps backwards, his back slamming into the wall. He moans in pain then gazes at his hands fearfully.

Danny: What the heck?!

His hands, now translucent, become solid again.

Danny (rubbing a hand on his back): What is happening to me? All signs are obviously leading to: I'm a freaking ghost, but…I still feel alive…mostly.

Jazz (rapidly knocking on the door): Danny, you really gotta come down to the lab. Mom and Dad are freaking out!

Danny: Um…

Jazz: Really, believe me when I say this is amazing. You know I'm the biggest skeptic, but even I have to admit: this is really cool!

Danny: I'm going to the bathroom!

Jazz: Oh…Sorry. Come down when you are finished!

She runs back down.

Danny: Okay, my condition sucks, but it could be worse, right?

His legs form into a tail, but he forms them back into legs, yelping again.

Danny (staring at his legs): And I take that back…

A white flash suddenly ensued from within Danny, a ring formed around his body and split up and down. Black and white hazmat suit to red and white T-shirt and jeans (where did the suit go? the world may never know…), green eyes to blue, white hair to raven black. He was himself again. He breathed out a sigh of relief.

Danny: It's over.

Danny (voice-over): And with those two words, I couldn't have been _more_ wrong.


	2. Last Moments of Tranquility

Cue theme song…

The Fenton household fades in from black with the casual little tune that always plays in the beginning of episodes. It's nighttime.

Danny (narration): There are some times in life when the whole world seems to stop so you can take one deep sigh and just relax. I never realized how much I would miss that feeling. But all good things must come to end I guess. I just wish I had few more minutes of tranquility… But a life as a half-ghost doesn't come with those luxuries. Now, today I was determined to pretend like nothing ever happened. Heh, the funny thing is, that would be way harder than I imagined.

Danny breathes a sigh of relief as he looks in the mirror at his blue eyes and black hair.

Danny: Thank God.

He walks downstairs and meets his parents and sister in the lab.

Danny: Whoa.

The camera pans from Danny's face of awe, lit up with green light, to the bright ghost portal opening where all shades of green swirled around inside. Jazz still stares at the portal in utter disbelief, while Jack and Maddie, with clipboards, hurriedly make notes about it.

Jazz: I can't believe it…How did you and Dad figure out how to fix the portal?

Maddie: It was working when we got back! We aren't sure how it happened.

Jack: Danny-boy (Danny turns his gaze to his father anxiously), did you hear anything down in the lab when we were out?

Danny (eyes wide): Um, _this_? I was just sweeping in here earlier and then I went upstairs and did some homework. I'm not sure what happened.

Jazz narrows her eyes at him, unconvinced. The parents seem confused that he seems completely unaware of how this happened, but they are too excited to question him further.

The next morning…

Danny notices that he is having chills and his ghost sense is constantly going off, though he shrugs it off as a cold, even though it feels much different than any sickness he has ever had and he doesn't feel ill otherwise.

Jazz (concerned as they eat cereal across the table from each other): Danny, are you okay?

Danny: Yeah, I'm fine. (he gasps cold air)

Jazz: Danny…

She reaches her hand out to touch his arm and pulls back instantly.

Jazz (confusion spreading across her face): Oh my God! Your skin is like ice.

Danny thought he would be burning up if anything, but why was he so cold? He leaves the table in a rush and takes a long hot shower. He gets out, feeling much warmer but still cold air escapes past his lips like a hiccup. He shrugs, then, looking into the mirror, he sees that his reflection is gone… _again_.

Danny: AHHH!

He falls backwards in a panic then here's fast few steps coming up the stairs.

Jazz: DANNY! ARE YOU OKAY?!

Danny: I'm fine Jazz! Just - uh - thought I saw a ghost.

Jazz (behind the bathroom door now): Stop fooling around. You scared me half to death! I won't believe in ghosts until I see one.

Danny (chuckling nervously and muttering under his breath): I'm pretty I see one right in front of me.

He says as he stands up and sees that he is visible again, well, all but his left hand. He tries to calm himself down but is so shocked he can barely breathe.

Jazz: Huh?…Look, we need to leave in less than 10 minutes so hurry up!

Danny, still finding it hard to breathe, watches in amazement as his hand fades back into existence. He isn't relieved by this because now he realizes his condition wasn't as temporary as he had thought.

Jazz and Danny climb in her car and she drives them to school. On the way there, Jazz asks if okay for the third time that morning.

Danny: Yes! I'm fine! Seriously, will you stop asking me that?

Jazz: Sorry, you just…you seem different.

Danny (turning his head to her): What? I'm not any different than yesterday. What would give you that idea?

Jazz (as she takes a right turn on the road the school's on): I don't know…I'm probably just over-analyzing.

Danny: Probably.

Jazz: But there is one thing that's been bothering me…When you said you weren't sure how the portal started working, you lied.

Danny: No I didn't!

Jazz: Come on! You must think I'm an idiot!

Danny: Jazz, it's the truth: I don't know what happened. End of story.

Jazz (as she parks): I know you'll tell me eventually so I won't press, but don't think I'm gonna let this go little brother.

Danny slouches and, as soon as she unlocks the doors, he rushes into the school and meets his friends by his locker. They raise their brows as he is out of breath when he reaches them.

Tucker: Dude, are you okay?

Danny (accidentally yelling): WILL EVERYONE PLEASE STOP ASKING ME THAT?!

Eyes momentarily flash green but, lucky for Danny, no one notices. Sam and Tucker exchange worried glances. A few students give him weird looks.

Danny (unlocks locker and unzips backpack): Sorry…I…I just am a little stressed out right now.

Sam (leaning against the lockers to the left of his): Do you wanna talk about it?

Danny (as he stuffs books into his locker): Not particularly.

Tucker: Well, we are here for you if you do.

Danny: Thanks you guys. It means a lot.

Tucker: So any news on the portal?

Danny (chokes): The portal?

Tucker: The one your parents made.

Danny: Oh, _that_ portal. Yeah, they fixed it!

Sam: Really?!

Tucker: Can we come over after school to see it?

Danny: I don't see why not.

He slams his locker shut and swings his backpack over his shoulder. It falls straight through him. He yelps as it lands on the ground and is relieved when he sees that no one saw what happened. Although, his friends turn around to him seeming confused. He smiles awkwardly and carefully picks the bag up and puts on his back again.

Sam: Can you imagine? Seeing real ghosts?

Tucker: That would be so cool! But do you really think they exist?

Sam (laughs): I would hope so since people dedicate their lives to this kind of stuff.

Tucker: It would be interesting to see one…But aren't they evil?

Sam: Well, I guess we won't really know until we meet them.

Tucker (to Danny): What do you know about ghosts?

Danny: Um…

He suddenly gasps, cold air passing between his lips. He feels like he is being watched. He looks around, but sees nothing. All the lights in the school go out at once and a few students shriek.

Danny swivels around, feeling a presence behind him. He is frozen in shock as a blue, plump middle-aged man in overalls floats a few feet in front of him.

The Box Ghost: I AM THE BOX GHOST! MASTER OF ALL THINGS SQUARE AND RECTANGULAR! BEWARE!

Yells erupt in the entire school and students begin frantically running away as the ghost summons boxes and the like around him and toss them at innocent bystanders. Sam and Tucker grab at Danny.

Sam (tugging at his shirt): Danny! Come on!

He starts to follow them towards the entrance of the school. He stops and looks back towards the ghost terrorizing a few students down the hall. He feels a cold tingling within him and, with a white flash, he's a ghoul again. He looks at his reflection in one of the thin windows of a classroom door and gulps. He realizes he is floating in midair and screams as he grasps for something to hold on but he stays afloat anyway. He breathes out a sigh of relief then gets into fighting stance and flies over to the ghost.

Danny (awkwardly): HEY! Uh, could you stop hurting these people?

The Box Ghost hurls a large cardboard box at him. The remaining students escape.

Danny (dodges): Whoa! Where did you even find all this stuff?

The Box Ghost: ENOUGH QUESTIONS.

Danny throws a punch at the ghost who falters backwards.

Danny (not knowing his own strength): Huh…that was easy.

The Box Ghost then throws a box of spaghetti at Danny, hitting his head. Danny kicks him in the stomach. The ghost summons another large box and throws it over Danny then flees. Danny pushes the box off and looks around.

Danny (to himself): But if I _had_ beaten him, how would I have gotten him back into the Ghost Zone?

He looks at his gloved hands and suit.

Danny: Better not let anyone see me like this.

He casually walks into the men's bathroom and hears someone breathing heavily.

Mr. Lancer (thinking no one is hearing him): _The Amityville Horror_! That was the scariest thing to happen since Waffle Wednesday was canceled in the teacher's lounge!

He comes out of the last stall and sees Danny - well, or as far as he is concerned, _a ghost_ \- standing in front of him with wide eyes. He screams and runs back into the stall. Danny quietly walks out of the restroom and goes to the janitor's closet a few doors down. Then he waits until he feels a strange sensation and becomes himself again. He comes out and sees that the halls are full of students again, some laughing and others talking about some ghost saving their lives. Danny laughs to himself. Sam and Tucker are searching around through the halls. Tucker is the first to find Danny.

Tucker: Oh man! Where did you go? We were freaking out!

Danny (rubbing his neck): Oh, sorry, I was just - um…I tripped then hid inside the janitor's closet.

Sam runs up to them and hugs Danny. Both slightly blush as she backs away.

Sam: Thank God you're okay. That was crazy! Did you guys see that ghost?

Tucker (scrolling through Instagram on his PDA): Which one?

Sam (eyes wide): There were two?

He shows them his device and they see the Box Ghost and the back of a glowing boy in a black and silver jumpsuit with white hair facing him. Danny gulps.

Sam (points to Danny): I didn't see that one.

Tucker (takes back his PDA and scrolls more): I didn't either until now. Who do you think he is?

Danny: Does it matter? It's not like we are gonna see him again.

Tucker: Oooh! Here's a better picture.

Danny snatches the PDA from Tucker's hands. There he is: white hair, green eyes, black and silver jumpsuit. He bites his lip, hoping they won't notice that this ghost boy looks incredibly similar to him.

Sam (takes the PDA): Huh…

Danny (nervously): What?

Sam (smiles): It's nothing.

She hands the PDA back to Tucker who raises a brow.

Tucker: Oh my God. You totally have the hots for this ghost guy.

Sam (crossing her arms in front of her): Okay, one, no, I don't. And two, he's a ghost so that means he's _dead_. Wouldn't it be strange to have a crush on someone that isn't even among the living anymore?

Danny thinks this comment is funny but finds it hard to laugh because, with this comment, comes the realization that he's dead. Or partly dead at least…And it means that he actually _is_ part ghost. Yet, simultaneously, he is 'among the living'. The whole situation made his skin crawl. He didn't know what to call himself anymore.

Screen fades in from black to Fenton household. Scene shifts to the laboratory and three teens staring at the ghost portal.

Sam (beaming): Wow, this is so cool! I've never seen anything like it. (she sticks her hand in and takes it out)

Danny: My dad said we can't leave the doors open too long or ghosts could escape the Ghost Zone so…

He presses the red button on the right hand side and black and yellow striped doors close.

Tucker: Did that ghost from earlier come from here?

Danny: Well, there's natural portals too. My parents made this one so they could more easily access it and study it.

Tucker grabs a cylindrical object from a lab table.

Tucker: Is this a thermos?

Danny (walks over and takes it): Hmmm…I mean, it probably has some other purpose.

He looks at the table, and, sure enough, there's a blueprint that says how it was made then a description that reads: _Fenton thermos - used to capture ghosts_. He stealthily puts it in his bag so his friends won't see…just in case he crosses paths with that Box Ghost again.

Tucker (walking over to Sam and staring at the portal doors): We should go inside.

Danny (remembering what happened to him): No way.

Sam puts her hands on her hips.

Danny (crossing arms in front of him): I mean, it could be dangerous. We don't know what could happen to us if we try going into another dimension.

Sam: I'm sure it's safe. Your parents wouldn't have created the portal if it weren't safe to explore.

Danny walks in between his friends and stares at the portal.

Danny (narration): I wanted to tell them so badly at this point, but what could I say? _Hey, by the way, I walked into the portal, turned it on, and now I'm kind of a half-ghost or something. Not really sure. But anyway…_ I decided not to say anything. It's not like they suspected I was hiding anything from them. And, at the time, I figured ghost attacks wouldn't be frequent. Of course I was wrong about that. I had no clue that I would be taking on my ghoulish persona more times than I can count in the next years of my life.


	3. Chapter 3

Theme song plays…

Continuation from last episode… the three friends stand in front of the portal thoughtfully.

Danny (breaking the silence): Well, anyway, that's the portal for you. Wanna go pop some popcorn and watch a movie?

Sam (laughing lightly): And ignore the fact that your parents made this incredibly cool thing? No way!

Danny: Well, we can't just stand here and stare at it all day.

Sam: _Exactly_.

Danny looked between Sam and Tucker's facial expressions which appeared almost identically.

Danny: You guys, we can't -

Tucker: Why not?

Danny: My parents are running tests and everything first to see if it is even safe for humans to go in.

Tucker (shrugs): Fair enough.

Just as Sam is about to say something, the ghost-hunting duo runs downstairs to the lab and is thrilled to see Danny and his friends taking an interest in their work.

Maddie (beaming): Glad to see you two stopped by! We heard that there was a ghost attack at the school earlier!

Sam: Yeah! One of them called themselves the Box Ghost! The other one saved some people.

Maddie (smile drops): Oh, well that isn't possible. In all my experience, I've never seen or heard about a benevolent spirit. Perhaps it just seemed that way.

Tucker: I guess we didn't actually see him ourselves. It's just what other people said.

Danny struggled not to make eye contact with anyone.

Maddie: Well, they must be mistaken. Ghosts are evil entities. Their only purpose is terrorize humans.

Jack (excited): We can teach you all about them if you want.

Danny internally moans while Sam looks extremely interested. Tucker is slightly interested.

Maddie: And we can teach you how to work these gadgets so you aren't completely defenseless when it comes to ghost-fighting!

Tucker (now fully on board): Oh cool! When do we start?

Jack: Right now!

So there the trio was…learning about ghosts and how to take them down.

Jack: This one we just finished working on! It detects ghosts. We call it the Fenton Finder.

He shows them a silver box with a green circle in the middle and a satellite dish-like object sticking out the front. Danny gulps.

Jack: How about you try it out Tucker?

Grabbing it excitedly, Tucker turns it on and holds it out in front of him. A woman's voice comes on.

Fenton Finder: Welcome to the Fenton Finder. A ghost is near. Walk forward.

Beeping intensifies as Tucker walks towards Danny with the device. He backs him up all the way to the wall. Danny stares with wide, anxious eyes.

Fenton Finder: Ghost is found. Thank you for using the Fenton Finder.

Jack: I told you to find ghosts! Not Fentons! Though the name is kind of misleading…

He takes it from Tucker, shakes it, bangs it against the table then hands it back.

Jack: Try that.

He uses it again but it does the same thing, adding.

Fenton Finder: You'd have to be some sort a moron to not notice the ghost directly ahead.

He gives Danny a weird look.

Jack: That's funny…Well, we'll fix it tomorrow. Anyway, (pulls out the thermos) this baby is the Fenton Thermos. Not sure if it works yet but it'll come in handy. For now we just use it for soup.

As Jack went on and on, Danny felt incredibly uncomfortable. If he had made one wrong move and somehow turned invisible or intangible or into his other form, they would know that he was indeed a ghost like the gadget had said.

Luckily for him, his parents were only just beginning to develop equipment that actually worked…so the invention having some glitch was much more likely than the alternative. His parents, Sam, and Tucker quickly come to the conclusion (in their minds) that it was no more than a faulty gadget that needed a good bit of tweaking.

Sam (crossing her arms and beginning to become uninterested): So do you have anything that _really_ works?

Jack scratches his head and looks at Maddie.

Maddie: Well, the Ghost Portal, ecto-guns, the Fenton bazooka…we've created many things that should, in theory, _work_. The only problem is that not many ghosts have attacked in Amity Park in the past few years.

Danny (exasperated): Hold on…Are you saying that you made the ghost portal just so that more ghosts could come and you could research them?

Jack: We would never! The reason for the portal is to have a way to put the ghosts back _in_. While the portal let's ghosts flow in and out without our control, it's more helpful than not.

Tucker: But two ghosts got out yesterday!

Maddie: Trust us when we say we made the portal with good intentions. We will figure out that glitch soon enough.

Danny (sighing): Okay. So who do you suppose is gonna protect Amity Park from ghost attacks until you fix it.

Maddie (smiling): Us, of course, sweetie. We didn't train as ghost hunters for nothing!

Danny: Right. Sam, Tucker wanna go watch that movie I was talking about earlier?

Tucker: Yeah man, I've had enough about ghosts today.

Jack: Do you wanna keep with the lessons? We don't mind teaching you how to protect yourselves against those nasty spectral menaces!

Danny begins to protest but Sam cuts in.

Sam: Sounds great!

Tucker (nodding): Count me in!

Danny reluctantly nods.

Maddie: Wonderful! Next week, we will start on the basics of how to battle them.

Danny (sarcastically): _Great_.

Later that night, after Sam and Tucker go home, Danny gets ready for bed.

Danny (plops down on his bed with hands behind head in a restful position): Well, today couldn't have been more stressful. Surely it can't get worse.

Ghost sense goes off, but Danny still hasn't figured out _what_ that is. He shrugs then hears a scream next door in Jazz's room. He jumps up and grasps the Fenton thermos.

Jazz: Help! There's a - I can't believe I'm saying this - there's a ghost! HELP!

Instinct kicks in as Danny transforms into his other form.

Danny (mutters to himself): _Well that works_.

He hooks the Fenton thermos onto his belt, then opens Jazz's door, forgetting he could pass straight through it. He gets into the best fighting stance he could muster up. A ghost has Jazz in a stranglehold with its octopus tentacles.

Danny: Stop right there and let go of my s- the girl!

The ghost turns abruptly to him with menacing, blood red eyes. The octopus-looking ghost drops Jazz to the floor who starts coughing. She stares at Danny.

Jazz (gasping): _Another_ ghost?

The ghoul lunges at Danny and they throw punches at each other. As Danny is about to throw his umpteenth punch the octopus twists one tentacle around his hand and another around his throat; he slams him against the wall. Danny gasps for breath. He puts his free hand around the octopus' tentacle around his neck and tries to break free from the grip. He rolls his eyes at himself as he realizes he can go intangible. Cold tingles up his spine and the octopus' tentacles pass through him. He flies up and the ghost octopus turns its gaze to him and meets his level and knocks him to the ground beside Jazz who stares at the halfa with wide eyes. Danny doesn't have time to breathe before the ghost jumps on him and they both phase through the ground into the family room.

Jazz: Whoa! I can't believe - did I just see…?

She runs over to the next room and knocks on the door. The door is cracked open so she walks in and is surprised to find that he is not there. She leaves the room and looks down the hallway. The lights are off in the bathroom. Before she can think more about where Danny could be, she hears a loud crash and yelling from downstairs. One yell sounds like…

Jazz (muttering under her breath): _Danny_?

She scurries down the stairs to see those same two ghosts battling. The one that attacked her seems to have the upper hand. She searches around for her little brother but he is nowhere to be found. She runs down to the underground laboratory. She finds her mom and dad working on creating an automobile that they had explained earlier could travel around the Ghost Zone. They have old 80s disco music so of course they hadn't heard all the fighting going on.

Jazz: Dad? Mom?

No answer.

Jazz: DAD? MOM?!

They turn to her and seem confused. Maddie pauses the music.

Maddie: Yes sweetie?

Jazz: There's a ghost attacking the house!

Jack (gets an ecto-gun): A GHOST?!

Maddie (pulls out the bazooka): WHERE?!

Jazz points upwards, and, with that, her parents speed up the stairs. She keeps up behind them and, once they get into the family room, everyone is surprised to see the whole area is completely torn apart and wreaks of ectoplasm (whatever _that_ smells like).

Jazz: Oh my God…

A ghost boy stands in the middle of the ruined room, holding none other than the Fenton thermos. He hears a whirring begin behind him and turns, surprised to see Jazz and his parents looking at him with such… _foreign_ expressions.

Jazz: Hold on, he - I think he tried to save my life.

Maddie: That's just what _it_ wants you to think.

Danny flies out of his house as quickly as he can manage and hears shots being fired behind him but, luckily, missing. He stands outside in the cool weather wondering if he should go back in, feeling like a stranger to his own family. Eventually, he flies up to his window and phases through to get back inside. He closes his door until he changes back. With a heavy sigh, he gets back in bed.

Jazz (rapidly knocking on door, seeming to be out of breath): Danny?

Danny (shrugs): What?

Jazz: Where were you?

Danny: Huh?

Jazz: There…there was a _ghost_. Well, _two_ actually. And I looked in your room like five minutes ago but you weren't here…?

Danny: Oh, I - um - I was in the bathroom.

Jazz knows he is lying but disregards it for now.

Jazz: Oh.

Jazz: Well…how did you not hear any of my screams or the ghosts fighting?

Danny: Had my headphones in, loud music, sorry.

Jazz: Hmm… Also, Danny?

Danny: Yeah?

Jazz: The ghost said he was looking for you...Any idea why he would say that?

Danny (eyes wide and muttering under breath): _That thing could talk?_ (to Jazz) He said he was looking for _me_? I mean, there are plenty of Danny's -

Jazz: He said Danny _Fenton_.

Danny (grimaces): I'm…not sure. That's creepy as hell.

Jazz: That's for sure…Be careful, okay?

Danny (passively): Okay.

Jazz bit her lip and turned away from him but then looked back. He just sat there with wide eyes.

Danny: Yes?

Jazz: Nothing. Sleep well.

Danny: Okay, you too.

She left the room.

Danny let out a sigh of relief and got up to do his homework for the next day.

Jazz walks to her bedroom and softly closes the door behind her.

Jazz (to herself): Why is Danny lying to me? What could he possibly have to hide?

 **End of chapter! Follow, favorite and review please!**


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